Inbred Sweet Corn Line SWSL 01

ABSTRACT

An inbred sweet corn line, designated SWSL 01, the plants and seeds of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01, methods for producing a maize plant produced by crossing the inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 with itself or with another maize plant, and hybrid maize seeds and plants produced by crossing the inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 with another maize line or plant.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This present invention relates generally to maize breeding, specifically relating to an inbred sweet corn line designated SWSL 01. All publications cited in this application are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of plant breeding is to combine in a single variety or hybrid various desirable traits. For vegetable crops, such as sweet corn, these traits may include resistance to diseases and insects, tolerance to heat and drought, reducing the time to crop maturity, greater yield, better agronomic quality, processing traits, such as high processing plant recovery, tender kernels, pleasing taste, uniform kernel size and color, attractive husk package and husked ears, ability to ship long distances, ease of mechanical or manual harvest, tipfill, row straight. With mechanical harvesting of many crops, uniformity of plant characteristics such as germination and stand establishment, growth rate, maturity, and plant and ear height, is important.

Sweet corn is a particular type of maize (Zea mays L., often referred to as corn in the United States). Sweet corn is harvested at an earlier maturity than field corn (before it is dry), for a different purpose (usually fresh produce, canning or freezing, for human consumption) and has been bred therefore to be qualitatively and quantitatively different from field corn in a number of respects.

Maize is bred through techniques that take advantage of the plant's method of pollination. A plant is self-pollinated if pollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower of the same plant. A plant is cross-pollinated if the pollen comes from a flower on a different plant. Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type for many generations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce a uniform population of true breeding progeny. A cross between two different homozygous lines produces a uniform population of hybrid plants that may be heterozygous for many gene loci. A cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number of gene loci will produce a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically and will not be uniform.

Maize can be bred by both self-pollination and cross-pollination techniques. Maize has separate male and female flowers on the same plant, located on the tassel and the ear, respectively. Natural pollination occurs in maize when wind blows pollen from the tassels to the silks that protrude from the tops of the ears.

A reliable method of controlling male fertility in plants offers the opportunity for improved plant breeding. This is especially true for development of maize hybrids, which relies upon some sort of male sterility system. There are several options for controlling male fertility available to breeders, such as: manual or mechanical emasculation (or detasseling), cytoplasmic male sterility, genetic male sterility, gametocides and the like.

Hybrid maize seed is typically produced by a male sterility system incorporating manual or mechanical detasseling. Alternate strips of two maize inbreds are planted in a field, and the pollen-bearing tassels are removed from one of the inbreds (female). Providing that there is sufficient isolation from sources of foreign maize pollen, the ears of the detasseled inbred will be fertilized only from the other inbred (male), and the resulting seed is therefore hybrid and will form hybrid plants.

Another system useful in controlling male sterility makes use of gametocides. Gametocides are not a genetic system, but rather a topical application of chemicals. These chemicals affect cells that are critical to male fertility. The application of these chemicals affects fertility in the plants only for the growing season in which the gametocide is applied (see, Carlson, Glenn R., U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,904). Application of the gametocide, timing of the application and genotype specificity often limit the usefulness of the approach.

The use of male sterile inbreds is but one factor in the production of maize hybrids. The development of maize hybrids requires, in general, the development of homozygous inbred lines, the crossing of these lines, and the evaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection breeding methods are used to develop inbred lines from breeding populations. Breeding programs combine the genetic backgrounds from two or more inbred lines or various other germplasm sources into breeding pools from which new inbred lines are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes. The new inbreds are crossed with other inbred lines and the hybrids from these crosses are evaluated to determine which of those have commercial potential. Plant breeding and hybrid development are expensive and time consuming processes.

Pedigree breeding starts with the crossing of two genotypes, each of which may have one or more desirable characteristics that is lacking in the other or which complements the other. If the two original parents do not provide all the desired characteristics, other sources can be included in the breeding population. In the pedigree method, superior plants are selfed and selected in successive generations. In the succeeding generations the heterozygous condition gives way to homogeneous lines as a result of self-pollination and selection. Typically in the pedigree method of breeding five or more generations of selfing and selection is practiced: F1 to F2; F3 to F4; F4 to F5, etc.

Recurrent selection breeding can be used to improve populations of either self or cross-pollinating crops. Recurrent selection can be used to transfer a specific desirable trait from one inbred or source to an inbred that lacks the trait. This can be accomplished, for example, by first a superior inbred (recurrent parent) to a donor inbred (non-recurrent parent), that carries the appropriate gene(s) for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross is then mated back to the superior recurrent parent followed by selection in the resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from the non-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations with selection for the desired trait, the progeny will be homozygous for loci controlling the characteristic being transferred, but will be like the superior parent for essentially all other genes. The last backcross generation is then selfed to give pure breeding progeny for the gene(s) being transferred. A hybrid developed from inbreds containing the transferred gene(s) is essentially the same as a hybrid developed from the same inbreds without the transferred genes, except for the difference made by the transferred gene. As the varieties developed using recurrent selection breeding contain almost all of the characteristics of the recurrent parent, selecting a superior recurrent parent is desirable.

A single cross maize hybrid results from the cross of two inbred lines, each of which has a genotype that complements the genotype of the other. The hybrid progeny of the first generation is designated F1. In the development of commercial hybrids only the F1 hybrid plants are sought. Preferred F1 hybrids are more vigorous than their inbred parents. This hybrid vigor, or heterosis, can be manifested in many polygenic traits, including increased vegetative growth and increased yield.

The development of a maize hybrid involves three steps: (1) the selection of plants from various germplasm pools for initial breeding crosses; (2) the selfing of the selected plants from the breeding crosses for several generations to produce a series of inbred lines, which, although different from each other, breed true and are highly uniform; and (3) crossing the selected inbred lines with different inbred lines to produce the hybrid progeny (F1). During the inbreeding process in maize, the vigor of the lines decreases. Vigor is restored when two different inbred lines are crossed to produce the hybrid progeny (F1). An important consequence of the homozygosity and homogeneity of the inbred lines is that the hybrid between a defined pair of inbreds will always have the same genotype. Once the inbreds that give a superior hybrid have been identified, the hybrid seed can be reproduced indefinitely as long as the homogeneity of the inbred parents is maintained.

A single cross hybrid is produced when two inbred lines are crossed to produce the F1 progeny. A double cross hybrid is produced from four inbred lines crossed in pairs (A×B and C×D) and then the two F1 hybrids are crossed again (A×B)×(C×D). Much of the hybrid vigor exhibited by F1 hybrids is lost in the next generation (F2). Consequently, seed from hybrids is not used for planting stock.

Hybrid seed production requires elimination or inactivation of pollen produced by the female parent. Incomplete removal or inactivation of the pollen provides the potential for self pollination. This inadvertently self pollinated seed may be unintentionally harvested and packaged with hybrid seed. Once the seed is planted, it is possible to identify and select these self pollinated plants. These self pollinated plants will be genetically equivalent to the female inbred line used to produce the hybrid. Typically these self pollinated plants can be identified and selected due to their decreased vigor. Female selfs are identified by their less vigorous appearance for vegetative and/or reproductive characteristics, including shorter plant height, small ear size, ear and kernel shape, cob color, or other characteristics.

Identification of these self pollinated lines can also be accomplished through molecular marker analyses. See, “The Identification of Female Selfs in Hybrid Maize: A Comparison Using Electrophoresis and Morphology,” Smith, J. S. C. and Wych, R. D., Seed Science and Technology 14, pp. 1-8 (1995), the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. Through these technologies, the homozygosity of the self pollinated line can be verified by analyzing allelic composition at various loci along the genome. Those methods allow for rapid identification of the invention disclosed herein. See also, “Identification of Atypical Plants in Hybrid Maize Seed by Postcontrol and Electrophoresis,” Sarca, V., et al., Probleme de Genetica Teoretica si Aplicata, Vol. 20 (1), pp. 29-42.

As is readily apparent to one skilled in the art, the foregoing are only two of the various ways by which the inbred can be obtained by those looking to use the germplasm. Other means are available, and the above examples are illustrative only.

Sweet corn is an important and valuable vegetable crop. Thus, a continuing goal of plant breeders is to develop high-yielding hybrids that are agronomically sound based on stable inbred lines. The reasons for this goal are obvious: to maximize the amount of marketable sweet corn produced with the inputs used and minimize susceptibility of the crop to pests and environmental stresses.

To accomplish this goal, the breeder must select and develop superior inbred parental lines for producing hybrids. This requires identification and selection of genetically unique individuals that occur in a segregating population. The segregating population is the result of a combination of crossover events plus the independent assortment of specific combinations of alleles at many gene loci that results in specific genotypes. The probability of selecting any one individual with a specific genotype from a breeding cross is very low due to the large number of segregating genes and the unlimited recombinations of these genes, some of which may be closely linked. However, the genetic variation among individual progeny of a breeding cross allows for the identification of rare and valuable new genotypes. These new genotypes are neither predictable nor incremental in value, but rather the result of manifested genetic variation combined with selection methods, environments and the actions of the breeder.

Thus, even if the entire genotypes of the parents of the breeding cross were characterized and a desired genotype known, only a few, if any, individuals having the desired genotype may be found in a large segregating F2 population. Typically, however, neither the genotypes of the breeding cross parents nor the desired genotype to be selected is known in any detail. In addition, it is not known how the desired genotype would react with the environment. This genotype by environment interaction is an important, yet unpredictable, factor in plant breeding. A breeder of ordinary skill in the art cannot predict the genotype, how that genotype will interact with various climatic conditions or the resulting phenotypes of the developing lines, except perhaps in a very broad and general fashion. A breeder of ordinary skill in the art would also be unable to recreate the same line twice from the very same original parents as the breeder is unable to direct how the genomes combine or how they will interact with the environmental conditions. This unpredictability results in the expenditure of large amounts of research resources in the development of a superior new maize inbred line, such as a superior new sweet corn inbred line.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a novel inbred sweet corn line, designated SWSL 01. Thus, one aspect of this invention relates to the seeds of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01, to the plants of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 and parts thereof, for example pollen, ovule, or ear, and to methods for producing a maize plant, preferably a sweet corn plant, by crossing the inbred line SWSL 01 with itself or another maize line, preferably a sweet corn line. A further aspect relates to hybrid maize seeds, preferably hybrid sweet corn seeds, and plants produced by crossing the inbred line SWSL 01 with another maize line, preferably a sweet corn line.

Another aspect of the present invention is also directed to inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 into which one or more specific, single gene traits, for example transgenes, have been introgressed from another maize line, such as a field corn line or a sweet corn line, and which has essentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of inbred sweet corn line of SWSL 01, in addition to the one or more specific, single gene traits introgressed into the inbred. Another aspect of the present invention also relates to seeds of an inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 into which one or more specific, single gene traits have been introgressed and to plants of an inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 into which one or more specific, single gene traits have been introgressed. A further aspect of the present invention relates to methods for producing a maize plant, preferably a sweet corn plant, by crossing plants of an inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 into which one or more specific, single gene traits have been introgressed with themselves or with another maize line, such as a field corn line or a sweet corn line.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to hybrid maize seeds, preferably sweet corn seeds, and plants produced by crossing plants of an inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 into which one or more specific, single gene traits have been introgressed with another maize line, such as a field corn line or a sweet corn line. A further aspect of the present invention is also directed to a method of producing inbreds comprising planting a collection of hybrid seed, growing plants from the collection, identifying inbreds among the hybrid plants, selecting the inbred plants and controlling their pollination to preserve their homozygosity.

Another aspect of the present invention is also directed to a method of producing a sweet corn ear comprising growing a plant according to the instant invention to produce an ear, and harvesting said ear. In another aspect of the present invention, the method further comprises isolating a kernel from said ear. In another aspect of the present invention, the method further comprises processing said kernel to obtain a sweet corn product. In a further aspect of the present invention, a sweet corn product according the instant invention is a canned or a frozen product, or a fresh produce.

Another aspect of the present invention is also directed to a method of producing a sweet corn product comprising obtaining an ear of a plant according to the instant invention, isolating a kernel from said ear, and processing said kernel to obtain a sweet corn product. In a further aspect of the present invention, a sweet corn product according the instant invention is a canned or a frozen product, or a fresh produce.

DEFINITIONS

In the description and tables that follow, a number of terms are used. In order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the specification and claims, including the scope to be given such terms, the following definitions are provided:

Allele. The allele is any of one or more alternative form of a gene, all of which relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cell or organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding loci on a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing. Backcrossing is a process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybrid progeny back to one of the parents, for example, a first generation hybrid F1 with one of the parental genotype of the F1 hybrid.

Crossing. The pollination of a female flower of a corn plant, thereby resulting in the production of seed from the flower.

Cross-pollination. Fertilization by the union of two gametes from different plants.

propped Ears. Ears that have fallen from the plant to the ground.

Ear Cob Diameter. The average diameter of the cob measured at the midpoint.

Ear Diameter. The average diameter of the ear at its midpoint.

Ear Length. The average length of the ear.

Ear Shank Length. The average length of the ear shank.

Ear Taper (Shape). The taper or shape of the ear scored as 1=slight, 2=average, and 3=extreme.

Ear Weight. The average weight of an ear.

Emasculate. The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation of the organs with a chemical agent or a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor conferring male sterility.

Essentially all the physiological and morphological characteristics. A plant having essentially all the physiological and morphological characteristics means a plant having the physiological and morphological characteristics, except for the characteristics derived from the converted gene.

GDUs. Growing degree units which are calculated by the Barger Method, where the heat units for a 24 hour period are calculated as GDUs=[(Maximum daily temperature+Minimum daily temperature)/2]−50. The highest maximum daily temperature used is 86° F. and the lowest minimum temperature used is 50° F.

GDUs to Shed. The number of growing degree units (GDUs) or heat units required for a variety to have approximately 50% of the plants shedding pollen as measured from time of planting. GDUs to shed is determined by summing the individual GDU daily values from planting date to the date of 50% pollen shed.

GDUs to Silk. The number of growing degree units for a variety to have approximately 50% of the plants with silk emergence as measured from time of planting. GDUs to silk is determined by summing the individual GDU daily values from planting date to the date of 50% silking.

Kernel Aleurone Color. The color of the aleurone scored as white, pink, tan, brown, bronze, red, purple, pale purple, colorless, or variegated.

Kernel Length. The average distance from the cap of the kernel to the pedicel.

Regeneration. Regeneration refers to the development of a plant from tissue culture.

Single gene converted. Single gene converted or conversion plant refers to plants which are developed by a plant breeding technique called backcrossing wherein essentially all of the desired morphological and physiological characteristics of an inbred are recovered in addition to the single gene transferred into the inbred via the backcrossing technique or via genetic engineering.

Daily heat unit value. The daily heat unit value is calculated as follows: (the maximum daily temperature+the minimum daily temperature)/2 minus 50. All temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit. The maximum temperature threshold is 86 degrees, if temperatures exceed this, 86 is used. The minimum temperature threshold is 50 degrees, if temperatures go below this, 50 is used.

Endosperm Type. Endosperm type refers to endosperm genes and types such as starch, sugary alleles (su1, su2, etc.), sugary enhancer or extender, waxy, amylose extender, dull, brittle alleles (bt1, bt2, etc.) other sh2 alleles, and any combination of these.

Yield. The yield is the tons of green corn or green weight per acre. It can also be defined as the number of ears per acre or per plant.

Moisture. The moisture is the actual percentage moisture of the grain at harvest.

HTU. HTU is the summation of the daily heat unit value calculated from emergence to harvest.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL). Quantitative trait loci refer to genetic loci that control to some degree numerically representable traits that are usually continuously distributed.

Root Lodging. The root lodging is the percentage of plants that root lodge (i.e., those that lean from the vertical axis at an approximate 300 angle or greater would be counted as root lodged).

Stay Green. Stay green is the measure of plant health near the time of black layer formation (physiological maturity). A high score indicates better late-season plant health.

Transgene. A genetic sequence which has been introduced into the nuclear or chloroplast genome of a corn plant by a genetic transformation technique.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a novel inbred sweet corn line, designated SWSL 01. Inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 was developed in a breeding program aimed at developing a breeding line with good agronomic characteristics, such as sh2 gene type, tender pericarp, and slender cob traits. SWSL 01 was selected based on sturdy single stalk plant, one inch or more of husk cover, sh2 gene type with tender kernel pericarp, 12 or more kernel rows, and a cob with a diameter of 0.5 inches or less.

The inbred has shown uniformity and stability as described in the following variety description information. It has been self-pollinated a sufficient number of generations with careful attention to plant type. The line has been increased with continued observation for uniformity. Inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 has the following morphological and other characteristics based on data taken from 2007-2009 in Hershey, Pa.

TABLE 1 VARIETY DESCRIPTION INFORMATION TYPE: Sweet corn REGION WHERE DEVELOPED IN THE U.S.A.: Pennsylvania MATURITY: From emergence to 50% of plants in silk: Days: 64 From 10% to 90% pollen shed: Days: 68 PLANT: Plant Height (to tassel tip) (inches): 60 Ear Height (to base of top ear node) (inches): 14 Length of Top Ear Internode (inches): 5 Average Number of Tillers: 0 Average Number of Ears per Stalk: 1 LEAF: Width of Ear Node Leaf (cm): 7.6 Length of Ear Node Leaf (cm): 56 Number of leaves above top ear: 4 Leaf Color: medium green Leaf Sheath Pubescence (1 = none, 9 = like peach fuzz): 3 Marginal Waves (1 = none, 9 = many): 5 TASSEL: Color: White Number of Primary Lateral Branches: 12 Tassel Length from top leaf collar to tassel tip) (cm): 33 Pollen Shed (0 = male sterile, 9 = heavy shed): 5 Bar Glumes (Glume Bands) (1 = Absent, 2 = Present): 1 EAR: Unhusked Data: Silk Color (3 days after emergence): White Fresh Husk Color (25 days after 50% silking): light green Dry Husk Color (65 days after 50% silking): brown Position of Ear at Dry Husk Stage (1 = Upright, 2 = Horizontal, 3 = Pendent): 1 Husk Tightness (1 = very loose, 9 = very tight): 6 Husk Extension (at harvest) (1 = Short (ears exposed), 2 = Medium (<8 cm), 3 = Long (8-10 cm beyond ear tip), 4 = Very Long (>10 cm)): 2 Husked Ear Data: Ear Length (cm): 14 Ear Diameter at mid-point (inches): 1.3 Ear Weight (gm): 20 Number of Kernel Rows: 12 to 14 Kernel Rows (1 = Indistinct, 2 = Distinct): 1 Row Alignment (1 = Straight, 2 = Slightly Curved, 3 = Spiral): 1 Shank Length (cm): 3.8 Ear Taper (1 = Slight, 2 = Average, 3 = Extreme): 2 KERNEL (Dried): Kernel Length (mm): 8 Kernel Width (mm): 6 Kernel Thickness (mm): 3 % Round Kernels (Shape Grade): 5 Aleurone Color Pattern (1 = Homozygous, 2 = Segregating): 1 Aleurone Color: colorless Hard Endosperm Color: yellow Endosperm Type (1 = Sweet (su1), 2 = Extra Sweet (sh2), 3 = Normal Starch, 4 = High Amylose Starch, 5 = Waxy Starch, 6 = High Protein, 7 = High Lysine, 8 = Super Sweet (se), 9 = High Oil, 10 = Other): 2 Weight per 100 Kernels (unsized sample) (gm): 5.5 COB: Cob Diameter at mid-point (inches): 0.4 Cob Color: white

FURTHER EMBODIMENTS OF INVENTION

Inbred maize lines, such as sweet corn inbred lines, are typically developed for use in the production of hybrid maize lines, for example hybrid sweet corn lines. Inbred maize lines need to be highly homogeneous, homozygous and reproducible to be useful as parents of commercial hybrids. There are many analytical methods available to determine the homozygotic and phenotypic stability of these inbred lines. The oldest and most traditional method of analysis is the observation of phenotypic traits. The data is usually collected in field experiments over the life of the maize plants to be examined. Phenotypic characteristics often observed are for traits associated with plant morphology, ear and kernel morphology, insect and disease resistance, maturity, and yield.

In addition to phenotypic observations, the genotype of a plant can also be examined. There are many laboratory-based techniques available for the analysis, comparison and characterization of plant genotype; among these are Isozyme Electrophoresis, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs), Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) which are also referred to as Microsatellites, and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs).

Some of the most widely used of these laboratory techniques are Isozyme Electrophoresis and RFLPs as discussed in Lee, M., “Inbred Lines of Maize and Their Molecular Markers,” The Maize Handbook, Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc., pp. 423-432 (1994) incorporated herein by reference. Isozyme Electrophoresis is a useful tool in determining genetic composition, although it has relatively low number of available markers and the low number of allelic variants among maize inbreds. RFLPs have the advantage of revealing an exceptionally high degree of allelic variation in maize and the number of available markers is almost limitless. Maize RFLP linkage maps have been rapidly constructed and widely implemented in genetic studies. One such study is described in Boppenmaier, et al., “Comparisons among strains of inbreds for RFLPs,” Maize Genetics Cooperative Newsletter, 65: 1991, p. 90, is incorporated herein by reference. This study used 101 RFLP markers to analyze the patterns of two to three different deposits each of five different inbred lines. The inbred lines had been selfed from nine to 12 times before being adopted into two to three different breeding programs. It was results from these two to three different breeding programs that supplied the different deposits for analysis. These five lines were maintained in the separate breeding programs by selfing or sibbing and rogueing off-type plants for an additional one to eight generations. After the RFLP analysis was completed, it was determined the five lines showed 0-2% residual heterozygosity. Although this was a relatively small study, it can be seen using RFLPs that the lines had been highly homozygous prior to the separate strain maintenance.

The invention also encompasses plants of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 and parts thereof further comprising one or more specific, single gene traits, which have been introgressed into inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 from another maize line. The single gene traits is transferred into inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 from any type of maize line, such as for example a field corn line, a sweet corn line, a popcorn line, a white corn line or a silage corn line. Preferably, one or more new traits are transferred to inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01, or, alternatively, one or more traits of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 are altered or substituted. The transfer (or introgression) of the trait(s) into inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 is for example achieved by recurrent selection breeding, for example by backcrossing. In this case, inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 (the recurrent parent) is first crossed to a donor inbred (the non-recurrent parent) that carries the appropriate gene(s) for the trait(s) in question. The progeny of this cross is then mated back to the recurrent parent followed by selection in the resultant progeny for the desired trait(s) to be transferred from the non-recurrent parent. After three, preferably four, more preferably five or more generations of backcrosses with the recurrent parent with selection for the desired trait(s), the progeny will be heterozygous for loci controlling the trait(s) being transferred, but will be like the recurrent parent for most or almost all other genes (see, for example, Poehlman & Sleper, Breeding Field Crops, 4th Ed., 172-175 (1995); Fehr, Principles of Cultivar Development, Vol. 1: Theory and Technique, 360-376 (1987), incorporated herein by reference).

The laboratory-based techniques described above, in particular RFLP and SSR, are routinely used in such backcrosses to identify the progenies having the highest degree of genetic identity with the recurrent parent. This permits to accelerate the production of inbred maize lines having at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 99% genetic identity with the recurrent parent, yet more preferably genetically identical to the recurrent parent, except for the trait(s) introgressed from the donor patent. Such determination of genetic identity is based on molecular markers used in the laboratory-based techniques described above. Such molecular markers are for example those described in Boppenmaier, et al., “Comparisons among strains of inbreds for RFLPs,” Maize Genetics Cooperative Newsletter 65, p. 90 (1991), incorporated herein by reference, or those available from the University of Missouri database and the Brookhaven laboratory database (see http://www.agron.missouri.edu, incorporated herein by reference). The last backcross generation is then selfed to give pure breeding progeny for the gene(s) being transferred. The resulting plants have essentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01, in addition to the single gene trait(s) transferred to the inbred. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the trait being altered to determine an appropriate testing protocol. Although backcrossing methods are simplified when the trait being transferred is a dominant allele, a recessive allele may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessary to introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desired trait has been successfully transferred.

Many traits have been identified that are not regularly selected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improved by backcrossing techniques. Examples of traits transferred to inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 include, but are not limited to, waxy starch, herbicide tolerance, resistance for bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, insect resistance, enhanced nutritional quality, improved performance in an industrial process, quality and processing traits such as high processing plant recovery, tender kernels, pleasing taste, uniform kernel size and color, attractive husk package and husked ears, ability to ship long distances, ease of mechanical or manual harvest, tipfill, row straight, altered reproductive capability, such as male sterility or male fertility, yield stability and yield enhancement. Other traits transferred to inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 are for the production of commercially valuable enzymes or metabolites in plants of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01. Other traits transferred to inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 are also different endosperm mutations including a sugary trait (su, e.g., su1), a shrunken trait (sh, e.g., sh2), a brittle trait (bt, e.g., bt1 or bt2, not to be confused with the gene for an endoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis, described elsewhere herein), or both white or yellow endosperm color.

Traits transferred to sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 are naturally occurring maize traits, such as naturally occurring sweet corn traits, or are transgenic. Transgenes are originally introduced into a donor, non-recurrent parent using genetic engineering and transformation techniques well known in the art. A transgene introgressed into sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 typically comprises a nucleotide sequence whose expression is responsible or contributes to the trait under the control of a promoter appropriate for the expression of the nucleotide sequence at the desired time in the desired tissue or part of the plant. Constitutive or inducible promoters are used. The transgene may also comprise other regulatory elements such as for example translation enhancers or termination signals. In one embodiment, the nucleotide sequence is the coding sequence of a gene and is transcribed and translated into a protein. In another embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encodes an antisense RNA or a sense RNA that is not translated or only partially translated.

Where more than one trait is introgressed into inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01, it is preferred that the specific genes are all located at the same genomic locus in the donor, non-recurrent parent, preferably, in the case of transgenes, as part of a single DNA construct integrated into the donor's genome. Alternatively, if the genes are located at different genomic loci in the donor, non-recurrent parent, backcrossing allows to recover all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 in addition to the multiple genes in the resulting sweet corn inbred line.

The genes responsible for a specific, single gene trait are generally inherited through the nucleus. Known exceptions are, e.g., the genes for male sterility, some of which are inherited cytoplasmically, but still act as single gene traits. In one embodiment, a transgene to be introgressed into sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 is integrated into the nuclear genome of the donor, non-recurrent parent. In another embodiment, a transgene to be introgressed into sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 is integrated into the plastid genome of the donor, non-recurrent parent. In one embodiment, a plastid transgene comprises one gene transcribed from a single promoter or two or more genes transcribed from a single promoter.

In one embodiment, a transgene whose expression results or contributes to a desired trait to be transferred to sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 comprises a virus resistance trait such as, for example, a MDMV strain B coat protein gene whose expression confers resistance to mixed infections of maize dwarf mosaic virus and maize chlorotic mottle virus in transgenic maize plants (Murry, et al., Biotechnology 11:1559-64 (1993), incorporated herein by reference). In another embodiment, a transgene comprises a gene encoding an insecticidal protein, such as, for example, a crystal protein of Bacillus thuringiensis or a vegetative insecticidal protein from Bacillus cereus, such as VIP3 (see, for example, Estruch, et al., Nat Biotechnol 15:137-41 (1997), incorporated herein by reference). In one embodiment, an insecticidal gene introduced into inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 is a CrylAb gene or a portion thereof, for example introgressed into sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 from a maize line comprising a Bt-11 event as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/042,426, incorporated herein by reference, or from a maize line comprising a 176 event as described in Koziel, et al., Biotechnology 11: 194-200 (1993), incorporated herein by reference. In yet another embodiment, a transgene introgressed into sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 comprises an herbicide tolerance gene. For example, expression of an altered acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) enzyme confers upon plants tolerance to various imidazolinone or sulfonamide herbicides (U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,373, incorporated herein by reference). In another embodiment, a non-transgenic trait conferring tolerance to imidazolinones is introgressed into sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 (e.g., an “IT” or “IR” trait). U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,374, incorporated herein by reference, relates to plant cells and plants containing a gene encoding a mutant glutamine synthetase (GS) resistant to inhibition by herbicides that are known to inhibit GS, e.g., phosphinothricin and methionine sulfoximine. Also, expression of a Streptomyces bar gene encoding a phosphinothricin acetyl transferase in maize plants results in tolerance to the herbicide phosphinothricin or glufosinate (U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,520, incorporated herein by reference). U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,659, incorporated herein by reference, is directed to plants that express a mutant acetolactate synthase (ALS) that renders the plants resistant to inhibition by sulfonylurea herbicides. U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,602, incorporated herein by reference, discloses plants tolerant to inhibition by cyclohexanedione and aryloxyphenoxypropanoic acid herbicides, such as, e.g., Sethoxydim or any herbicidally effective forms of 2-[1-ethoxyimino)butyl]-5-(2-(ethylthio)propyl]-3-hydroxy-2-cyclohexen-1-one, its salts and derivatives. The tolerance is conferred by an altered acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase). U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,798, incorporated herein by reference, discloses transgenic glyphosate tolerant maize plants, which tolerance is conferred by an altered 5-enolpyruvyl-3-phosphoshikimate (EPSP) synthase gene. Also, tolerance to a protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor is achieved by expression of a tolerant protoporphyrinogen oxidase enzyme in plants (U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,373, incorporated herein by reference).

In one embodiment, a transgene introgressed into sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 comprises a gene conferring tolerance to a herbicide and at least another nucleotide sequence encoding another trait, such as for example, an insecticidal protein. Such combination of single gene traits is for example a Cry1Ab gene and a bar gene.

Specific transgenic events introgressed into sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 are found at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/bbep/brs/not_reg.html, incorporated herein by reference. These are for example introgressed from glyphosate tolerant event GA21 (application number 9709901p), glyphosate tolerant/Lepidopteran insect resistant event MON 802 (application number 9631701p), Lepidopteran insect resistant event DBT418 (application number 9629101p), male sterile event MS3 (application number 9522801p), Lepidopteran insect resistant event Btl 1 (application number 9519501p), phosphinothricin tolerant event B16 (application number 9514501p), Lepidopteran insect resistant event MON 80100 (application number 9509301p), phosphinothricin tolerant events T14, T25 (application number 9435701p), Lepidopteran insect resistant event 176 (application number 9431901p).

The introgression of a Bt11 event into a maize line, such as sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01, by backcrossing is exemplified in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/042,426, incorporated herein by reference, and the present invention is directed to methods of introgressing a Bt11 event into sweet corn inbred line SWSL 01 using for example the markers described in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/042,426 and to resulting maize lines.

Direct selection may be applied where the trait acts as a dominant trait. An example of a dominant trait is herbicide tolerance. For this selection process, the progeny of the initial cross are sprayed with the herbicide prior to the backcrossing. The spraying eliminates any plant which do not have the desired herbicide tolerance characteristic, and only those plants which have the herbicide tolerance gene are used in the subsequent backcross. This process is then repeated for the additional backcross generations.

This invention also is directed to methods for producing a maize plant, preferably a sweet corn plant, by crossing a first parent maize plant with a second parent maize plant wherein either the first or second parent maize plant is a sweet corn plant of inbred line SWSL 01 or a sweet corn plant of inbred line SWSL 01 further comprising one or more single gene traits. Further, both first and second parent maize plants can come from the inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 or an inbred sweet corn plant of SWSL 01 further comprising one or more single gene traits. Thus, any such methods using the inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 or an inbred sweet corn plant of SWSL 01 further comprising one or more single gene traits are part of this invention: selling, backcrosses, hybrid production, crosses to populations, and the like. All plants produced using inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 or inbred sweet corn plants of SWSL 01 further comprising one or more single gene traits as a parent are within the scope of this invention. Advantageously, inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 or inbred sweet corn plants of SWSL 01 further comprising one or more single gene traits are used in crosses with other, different, maize inbreds to produce first generation (F1) maize hybrid seeds and plants with superior characteristics.

In one embodiment, seeds of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 or seeds of inbred sweet corn plants of SWSL 01 further comprising one or more single gene traits are provided as an essentially homogeneous population of inbred corn seeds. Essentially homogeneous populations of inbred seed are those that consist essentially of the particular inbred seed, and are generally purified free from substantial numbers of other seed, so that the inbred seed forms between about 90% and about 100% of the total seed, and preferably, between about 95% and about 100% of the total seed. Most preferably, an essentially homogeneous population of inbred corn seed will contain between about 98.5%, 99%, 99.5% and about 100% of inbred seed, as measured by seed grow outs. The population of inbred corn seeds of the invention is further particularly defined as being essentially free from hybrid seed. Thus, one particular embodiment of this invention is isolated inbred seed of inbred sweet corn plants of SWSL 01, e.g., substantially free from hybrid seed or seed of other inbred seed, e.g., a seed lot or unit of inbred seed which is at least 95% homogeneous. The inbred seed population may be separately grown to provide an essentially homogeneous population of plants of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 or inbred sweet corn plants of SWSL 01 further comprising one or more single gene traits.

Seeds of inbred sweet corn plants of SWSL 01 for planting purposes is preferably containerized, e.g., placed in a bag or other container for ease of handling and transport and is preferably coated, e.g., with protective agents, e.g., safening or pesticidal agents, in particular antifungal agents and/or insecticidal agents.

When inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 is identified herein, it is understood that the named line include varieties which have the same genotypic and phenotypic characteristics as the identified varieties, i.e., are derived from a common inbred source, even if differently named.

As used herein, the term “plant” includes plant cells, plant protoplasts, plant cell tissue cultures from which maize plants can be regenerated, plant calli, plant clumps, and plant cells that are intact in plants or parts of plants, such as embryos, pollen, ovules, flowers, kernels, ears, cobs, leaves, husks, stalks, roots, root tips, anthers, silk, seeds and the like.

Duncan, Williams, Zehr, and Widholm, Planta 165:322-332 (1985) reflects that 97% of the plants cultured that produced callus were capable of plant regeneration. Subsequent experiments with both inbreds and hybrids produced 91% regenerable callus that produced plants. In a further study in 1988, Songstad, Duncan and Widholm in Plant Cell Reports 7:262-265 (1988), reports several media additions that enhance regenerability of callus of two inbred lines. Other published reports also indicated that “nontraditional” tissues are capable of producing somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration. K. P. Rao, et al., Maize Genetics Cooperation Newsletter, 60:64-65 (1986), refers to somatic embryogenesis from glume callus cultures and B. V. Conger, et al., Plant Cell Reports, 6:345-347 (1987) indicates somatic embryogenesis from the tissue cultures of maize leaf segments. Thus, it is clear from the literature that the state of the art is such that these methods of obtaining plants are, and were, “conventional” in the sense that they are routinely used and have a very high rate of success.

Tissue culture of maize is described in European Patent Application, Publication 160,390, incorporated herein by reference. Maize tissue culture procedures are also described in Green and Rhodes, “Plant Regeneration in Tissue Culture of Maize,” Maize for Biological Research, Plant Molecular Biology Association, Charlottesville, Va., pp. 367-372 (1982) and in Duncan, et al., “The Production of Callus Capable of Plant Regeneration from Immature Embryos of Numerous Zea mays Genotypes,” 165 Planta 322-332 (1985). Thus, another aspect of this invention is to provide cells which upon growth and differentiation produce maize plants having the physiological and morphological characteristics of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01. In one embodiment, cells of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 are transformed genetically, for example with one or more genes described above, for example by using a transformation method described in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/042,426, incorporated herein by reference, and transgenic plants of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 are obtained and used for the production of hybrid maize plants.

Maize is used as human food, livestock feed, and as raw material in industry. Sweet corn is usually used as fresh produce, canning or freezing, for human consumption. The food uses of maize, in addition to human consumption of maize kernels, also include both products of dry- and wet-milling industries. The principal products of maize dry milling are grits, meal and flour. The maize wet-milling industry can provide maize starch, maize syrups, and dextrose for food use. Maize oil is recovered from maize germ, which is a by-product of both dry- and wet-milling industries.

Maize, including both grain and non-grain portions of the plant, is also used extensively as livestock feed, primarily for beef cattle, dairy cattle, hogs, and poultry. Industrial uses of maize include production of ethanol, maize starch in the wet-milling industry and maize flour in the dry-milling industry. The industrial applications of maize starch and flour are based on functional properties, such as viscosity, film formation, adhesive properties, and ability to suspend particles. The maize starch and flour have application in the paper and textile industries. Other industrial uses include applications in adhesives, building materials, foundry binders, laundry starches, explosives, oil-well muds, and other mining applications. Plant parts other than the grain of maize are also used in industry: for example, stalks and husks are made into paper and wallboard and cobs are used for fuel and to make charcoal.

The seed of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 or of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 further comprising one or more single gene traits, the plant produced from the inbred seed, the hybrid maize plant produced from the crossing of the inbred, hybrid seed, and various parts of the hybrid maize plant can be utilized for human food, livestock feed, and as a raw material in industry.

The present invention therefore also discloses an agricultural product comprising a plant of the present invention or derived from a plant of the present invention. The present invention also discloses an industrial product comprising a plant of the present invention or derived from a plant of the present invention. The present invention further discloses methods of producing an agricultural or industrial product comprising planting seeds of the present invention, growing plant from such seeds, harvesting the plants and processing them to obtain an agricultural or industrial product.

Male Genes That Control Sterility

The laborious, and occasionally unreliable, detasseling process can be avoided by using cytoplasmic male-sterile (CMS) inbreds. Plants of a CMS inbred are male sterile as a result of factors resulting from the cytoplasmic, as opposed to the nuclear, genome. Thus, this characteristic is inherited exclusively through the female parent in maize plants, since only the female provides cytoplasm to the fertilized seed. CMS plants are fertilized with pollen from another inbred that is not male-sterile. Pollen from the second inbred may or may not contribute genes that make the hybrid plants male-fertile. Seed from detasseled fertile maize and CMS produced seed of the same hybrid can be blended to insure that adequate pollen loads are available for fertilization when the hybrid plants are grown.

There are several methods of conferring genetic male sterility available, such as multiple mutant genes at separate locations within the genome that confer male sterility, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,654,465 and 4,727,219 to Brar, et al. and chromosomal translocations as described by Patterson in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,861,709 and 3,710,511. These and all patents referred to are incorporated by reference.

There are many other methods of conferring genetic male sterility in the art, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. These methods use a variety of approaches such as delivering into the plant a gene encoding a cytotoxic substance associated with a male tissue specific promoter or an antisense system in which a gene critical to fertility is identified and an antisense to that gene is inserted in the plant (see, Fabinjanski, et al., EPO 89/3010153.8, Publication No. 329,308 and PCT Application PCT/CA90/00037, published as WO 90/08828).

Another system useful in controlling male sterility makes use of gametocides. Gametocides are not a genetic system, but rather a topical application of chemicals. These chemicals affect cells that are critical to male fertility. The application of these chemicals affects fertility in the plants only for the growing season in which the gametocide is applied (see, Carlson, Glenn R., U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,904). Application of the gametocide, timing of the application and genotype specificity often limit the usefulness of the approach.

Herbicide Resistance

Numerous herbicide resistance genes are known and may be employed with the invention. An example is a gene conferring resistance to a herbicide that inhibits the growing point or meristem, such as an imidazalinone or a sulfonylurea. Exemplary genes in this category code for mutant ALS and AHAS enzyme as described, for example, by Lee, et al. (1988); Gleen, et al. (1992); and Miki, et al. (1990).

Resistance genes for glyphosate (resistance conferred by mutant 5-enolpyruvl-3 phosphikimate synthase (EPSP) and aroA genes, respectively) and other phosphono compounds, such as glufosinate (phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (PAT) and Streptomyces hygroscopicus phosphinothricin-acetyl transferase (bar) genes) may also be used. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,835 to Shah, et al., which discloses the nucleotide sequence of a form of EPSPS which can confer glyphosate resistance. A DNA molecule encoding a mutant aroA gene can be obtained under ATCC Accession Number 39256, and the nucleotide sequence of the mutant gene is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,061 to Comai. European Patent Application No. 0 333 033 to Kumada, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,374 to Goodman, et al., disclose nucleotide sequences of glutamine synthetase genes which confer resistance to herbicides such as L-phosphinothricin. The nucleotide sequence of a phosphinothricin-acetyltransferase gene is provided in European Application No. 0 242 246 to Leemans, et al. DeGreef, et al. (1989), describe the production of transgenic plants that express chimeric bar genes coding for phosphinothricin acetyl transferase activity. Exemplary of genes conferring resistance to phenoxy propionic acids and cycloshexones, such as sethoxydim and haloxyfop are the Acct-S1, Accl-S2, and Acct-S3 genes described by Marshall, et al. (1992).

Genes are also known conferring resistance to a herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, such as a triazine (psbA and gs+ genes) and a benzonitrile (nitrilase gene). Przibilla, et al. (1991), describe the transformation of Chlamydomonas with plasmids encoding mutant psbA genes. Nucleotide sequences for nitrilase genes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,648 to Stalker, and DNA molecules containing these genes are available under ATCC Accession Nos. 53435, 67441, and 67442. Cloning and expression of DNA coding for a glutathione S-transferase is described by Hayes, et al. (1992).

Waxy Starch

The waxy characteristic is an example of a recessive trait. In this example, the progeny resulting from the first backcross generation (BC 1) must be grown and selfed. A test is then run on the selfed seed from the BC1 plant to determine which BC1 plants carried the recessive gene for the waxy trait. In other recessive traits additional progeny testing, for example, growing additional generations such as the BC1S1, may be required to determine which plants carry the recessive gene.

Disease Resistance

Plant defenses are often activated by specific interaction between the product of a disease resistance gene (R) in the plant and the product of a corresponding avirulence (Avr) gene in the pathogen. A plant line can be transformed with cloned resistance gene to engineer plants that are resistant to specific pathogen strains. See, for example, Jones, et al. (1994) (cloning of the tomato Cf-9 gene for resistance to Cladosporium fulvum); Martin, et al. (1993) (tomato Pto gene for resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato); and Mindrinos, et al. (1994) (Arabidopsis RPS2 gene for resistance to Pseudomonas syringae).

A viral-invasive protein or a complex toxin derived therefrom may also be used for viral disease resistance. For example, the accumulation of viral coat proteins in transformed plant cells imparts resistance to viral infection and/or disease development effected by the virus from which the coat protein gene is derived, as well as by related viruses. See Beachy, et al. (1990). Coat protein-mediated resistance has been conferred upon transformed plants against alfalfa mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus, tobacco streak virus, potato virus X, potato virus Y, tobacco etch virus, tobacco rattle virus, and tobacco mosaic virus. Id.

A virus-specific antibody may also be used. See, for example, Tavladoraki, et al. (1993), who show that transgenic plants expressing recombinant antibody genes are protected from virus attack.

Logemann, et al. (1992), for example, disclose transgenic plants expressing a barley ribosome-inactivating gene have an increased resistance to fungal disease.

Insect Resistance

One example of an insect resistance gene includes a Bacillus thuringiensis protein, a derivative thereof or a synthetic polypeptide modeled thereon. See, for example, Geiser, et al. (1986), who disclose the cloning and nucleotide sequence of a Bt δ-endotoxin gene. Moreover, DNA molecules encoding δ-endotoxin genes can be purchased from the American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Va., for example, under ATCC Accession Nos. 40098, 67136, 31995, and 31998. Another example is a lectin. See, for example, Van Damme, et al. (1994), who disclose the nucleotide sequences of several Clivia miniata mannose-binding lectin genes. A vitamin-binding protein may also be used, such as avidin. See PCT Application US93/06487, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. This application teaches the use of avidin and avidin homologues as larvicides against insect pests.

Yet another insect resistance gene is an enzyme inhibitor, for example, a protease or proteinase inhibitor or an amylase inhibitor. See, for example, Abe, et al. (1987) (nucleotide sequence of rice cysteine proteinase inhibitor); Huub, et al. (1993) (nucleotide sequence of cDNA encoding tobacco proteinase inhibitor I); and Sumitani, et al. (1993) (nucleotide sequence of Streptomyces nitrosporeus α-amylase inhibitor). An insect-specific hormone or pheromone may also be used. See, for example, the disclosure by Hammock, et al. (1990), of baculovirus expression of cloned juvenile hormone esterase, an inactivator of juvenile hormone.

Still other examples include an insect-specific antibody or an immunotoxin derived therefrom and a developmental-arrestive protein. See, Taylor et al. (1994), who described enzymatic inactivation in transgenic tobacco via production of single-chain antibody fragments.

Modified Fatty, Acid, Phytate, and Carbohydrate Metabolism

Genes may be used conferring modified fatty acid metabolism. For example, stearyl-ACP desaturase genes may be used. See, Knutzon, et al. (1992). Various fatty acid desaturases have also been described, such as a Saccharomyces cerevisiae OLE1 gene encoding Δ9 fatty acid desaturase, an enzyme which forms the monounsaturated palmitoleic (16:1) and oleic (18:1) fatty acids from palmitoyl (16:0) or stearoyl (18:0) CoA (McDonough, et al. (1992)); a gene encoding a stearoyl-acyl carrier protein delta-9 desaturase from castor (Fox, et al. (1993)); Δ6- and Δ12-desaturases from the cyanobacteria Synechocystis responsible for the conversion of linoleic acid (18:2) to gamma-linolenic acid (18:3 gamma) (Reddy, et al. (1993)); a gene from Arabidopsis thaliana that encodes an omega-3 desaturase (Arondel, et al. (1992)); plant A9-desaturases (PCT Application Publ. No. WO 91/13972) and soybean and Brassica A15 desaturases (European Patent Application Publ. No. EP 0616644).

Phytate metabolism may also be modified by introduction of a phytase-encoding gene to enhance breakdown of phytate, adding more free phosphate to the transformed plant. For example, see Van Hartingsveldt, et al. (1993), for a disclosure of the nucleotide sequence of an Aspergillus niger phytase gene. In corn, this, for example, could be accomplished by cloning and then reintroducing DNA associated with the single allele which is responsible for corn mutants characterized by low levels of phytic acid. See, Raboy, et al. (1990).

A number of genes are known that may be used to alter carbohydrate metabolism. For example, plants may be transformed with a gene coding for an enzyme that alters the branching pattern of starch. See, Shiroza, et al. (1988) (nucleotide sequence of Streptococcus mutants fructosyltransferase gene); Steinmetz, et al. (1985) (nucleotide sequence of Bacillus subtilis levansucrase gene); Pen, et al. (1992) (production of transgenic plants that express Bacillus lichenifonnis α-amylase); Elliot, et al. (1993) (nucleotide sequences of tomato invertase genes); Sergaard, et al. (1993) (site-directed mutagenesis of barley α-amylase gene); and Fisher, et al. (1993) (maize endosperm starch branching enzyme II). The Z10 gene encoding a 10 kD zein storage protein from maize may also be used to alter the quantities of 10 kD zein in the cells relative to other components (Kirihara, et al. (1988)).

Origin and Breeding History of an Exemplary Introduced Trait

Provided by the invention are hybrid plant in which one or more of the parents comprise an introduced trait. Such a plant may be defined as comprising a single locus conversion. Exemplary procedures for the preparation of such single locus conversions are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/772,520, the entire disclosure of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference.

An example of a single locus conversion is 85DGD1. 85DGD1 MLms is a conversion of 85DGD1 to cytoplasmic male sterility. 85DGD1 MLms was derived using backcross methods. 85DGD1 (a proprietary inbred of Monsanto Company) was used as the recurrent parent and MLms, a germplasm source carrying ML cytoplasmic sterility, was used as the nonrecurrent parent.

As described, techniques for the production of corn plants with added traits are well known in the art (see, e.g., Poehlman, et al. (1995); Fehr (1987); Sprague and Dudley (1988)). A non-limiting example of such a procedure one of skill in the art could use for preparation of a hybrid corn plant SWSL 01 comprising an added trait is as follows:

-   -   (a) crossing a parent of hybrid corn plant SWSL 01 such as         1119135 and/or CV932121 to a second (nonrecurrent) corn plant         comprising a locus to be converted in the parent;     -   (b) selecting at least a first progeny plant resulting from the         crossing and comprising the locus;     -   (c) crossing the selected progeny to the parent line of corn         plant SWSL 01;     -   (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) until a parent line of variety         SWSL 01 is obtained comprising the locus; and     -   (e) crossing the converted parent with the second parent to         produce hybrid variety SWSL 01 comprising a desired trait.

Following these steps, essentially any locus may be introduced into hybrid corn variety SWSL 01. For example, molecular techniques allow introduction of any given locus, without the need for phenotypic screening of progeny during the backcrossing steps.

PCR and Southern hybridization are two examples of molecular techniques that may be used for confirmation of the presence of a given locus and thus conversion of that locus. The techniques are carried out as follows: Seeds of progeny plants are grown and DNA isolated from leaf tissue (see, Sambrook, et al. (2001); Shure, et al. (1983)). Approximately one gram of leaf tissue is lyophilized overnight in 15 ml polypropylene tubes. Freeze-dried tissue is ground to a power in the tube using a glass rod. Powdered tissue is mixed thoroughly with 3 ml extraction buffer (7.0 urea, 0.35 M NaCl, 0.05 M Tris-HCl pH 8.0, 0.01 M EDTA, 1% sarcosine). Tissue/buffer homogenate is extracted with 3 ml phenol/chloroform. The aqueous phase is separated by centrifugation, and precipitated twice using 1/10 volume of 4.4 M ammonium acetate pH 5.2, and an equal volume of isopropanol. The precipitate is washed with 75% ethanol and resuspended in 100-500 μl TE (0.01 M Tris-HCl, 0.001 M EDTA, pH 8.0). The DNA may then be screened as desired for presence of the locus.

For PCR, two hundred to 1000 ng genomic DNA from the progeny plant being screened is added to a reaction mix containing 10 mM Tris-HCl pH 8.3, 1.5 mM MgCl₂, 50 mM KCl, 0.1 mg/ml gelatin, 200 μM each dATP, dCTP, dGTP, dTTP, 20% glycerol, 2.5 units Taq DNA polymerase and 0.5 μM each of forward and reverse DNA primers that span a segment of the locus being converted. The reaction is run in a thermal cycling machine 3 minutes at 94° C., 39 repeats of the cycle 1 minute at 94° C., 1 minute at 50° C., 30 seconds at 72° C., followed by 5 minutes at 72° C. Twenty μl of each reaction mix is run on a 3.5% NuSieve gel in TBE buffer (90 mM Tris-borate, 2 mM EDTA) at 50V for two to four hours. The amplified fragment is detected using an agarose gel. Detection of an amplified fragment corresponding to the segment of the locus spanned by the primers indicates the presence of the locus.

For Southern analysis, plant DNA is restricted, separated in an agarose gel and transferred to a Nylon filter in 10×SCP (20 SCP: 2M NaCl, 0.6 M disodium phosphate, 0.02 M disodium EDTA) according to standard methods (Southern (1975)). Locus DNA or RNA sequences are labeled, for example, radioactively with ³²P by random priming (Feinberg and Vogelstein (1983)). Filters are prehybridized in 6×SCP, 10% dextran sulfate, 2% sarcosine, and 500 μg/ml denatured salmon sperm DNA. The labeled probe is denatured, hybridized to the filter and washed in 2×SCP, 1% SDS at 65° C. for 30 minutes and visualized by autoradiography using Kodak XAR5 film. Presence of the locus is indicated by detection of restriction fragments of the appropriate size.

Tissue Cultures and In Vitro Regeneration of Corn Plants

A further aspect of the invention relates to tissue cultures of the corn plant designated SWSL 01. As used herein, the term “tissue culture” indicates a composition comprising isolated cells of the same or a different type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of a plant. Exemplary types of tissue cultures are protoplasts, calli, and plant cells that are intact in plants or parts of plants, such as embryos, pollen, flowers, kernels, ears, cobs, leaves, husks, stalks, roots, root tips, anthers, silk, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the tissue culture comprises embryos, protoplasts, meristematic cells, pollen, leaves, or anthers derived from immature tissues of these plant parts. Means for preparing and maintaining plant tissue cultures are well known in the art (U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,880 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,318, each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety). By way of example, a tissue culture comprising organs such as tassels or anthers has been used to produce regenerated plants (U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,961 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,789, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference).

One type of tissue culture is tassel/anther culture. Tassels contain anthers which in turn enclose microspores. Microspores develop into pollen. For anther/microspore culture, if tassels are the plant composition, they are preferably selected at a stage when the microspores are uninucleate, that is, include only one, rather than two or three nuclei. Methods to determine the correct stage are well known to those skilled in the art and include mitramycin fluorescent staining (Pace, et al. (1987)), trypan blue (preferred) and acetocarmine squashing. The mid-uninucleate microspore stage has been found to be the developmental stage most responsive to the subsequent methods disclosed to ultimately produce plants.

Although microspore-containing plant organs such as tassels can generally be pretreated at any cold temperature below about 25° C., a range of 4 to 25° C. is preferred, and a range of 8 to 14° C. is particularly preferred. Although other temperatures yield embryoids and regenerated plants, cold temperatures produce optimum response rates compared to pretreatment at temperatures outside the preferred range. Response rate is measured as either the number of embryoids or the number of regenerated plants per number of microspores initiated in culture. Exemplary methods of microspore culture are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,789 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,961, the disclosures of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference.

Although not required, when tassels are employed as the plant organ, it is generally preferred to sterilize their surface. Following surface sterilization of the tassels, for example, with a solution of calcium hypochloride, the anthers are removed from about 70 to 150 spikelets (small portions of the tassels) and placed in a preculture or pretreatment medium. Larger or smaller amounts can be used depending on the number of anthers.

When one elects to employ tassels directly, tassels are preferably pretreated at a cold temperature for a predefined time, preferably at 10° C. for about 4 days. After pretreatment of a whole tassel at a cold temperature, dissected anthers are further pretreated in an environment that diverts microspores from their developmental pathway. The function of the preculture medium is to switch the developmental program from one of pollen development to that of embryoid/callus development. An embodiment of such an environment in the form of a preculture medium includes a sugar alcohol, for example, mannitol or sorbitol, inositol or the like. An exemplary synergistic combination is the use of mannitol at a temperature of about 10° C. for a period ranging from about 10 to 14 days. In a preferred embodiment, 3 ml of 0.3 M mannitol combined with 50 mg/l of ascorbic acid, silver nitrate, and colchicine is used for incubation of anthers at 10° C. for between 10 and 14 days. Another embodiment is to substitute sorbitol for mannitol. The colchicine produces chromosome doubling at this early stage. The chromosome doubling agent is preferably only present at the preculture stage.

It is believed that the mannitol or other similar carbon structure or environmental stress induces starvation and functions to force microspores to focus their energies on entering developmental stages. The cells are unable to use, for example, mannitol as a carbon source at this stage. It is believed that these treatments confuse the cells causing them to develop as embryoids and plants from microspores. Dramatic increases in development from these haploid cells, as high as 25 embryoids in 10⁴ microspores, have resulted from using these methods.

To isolate microspores, an isolation media is preferred. An isolation media is used to separate microspores from the anther walls while maintaining their viability and embryogenic potential. An illustrative embodiment of an isolation media includes a 6% sucrose or maltose solution combined with an antioxidant such as 50 mg/l of ascorbic acid, 0.1 mg/l biotin, and 400 mg/l of proline, combined with 10 mg/l of nicotinic acid and 0.5 mg/l AgNO₃. In another embodiment, the biotin and proline are omitted.

An isolation media preferably has a higher antioxidant level where it is used to isolate microspores from a donor plant (a plant from which a plant composition containing a microspore is obtained) that is field grown in contrast to greenhouse grown. A preferred level of ascorbic acid in an isolation medium is from about 50 mg/l to about 125 mg/l and, more preferably, from about 50 mg/l to about 100 mg/l.

One can find particular benefit in employing a support for the microspores during culturing and subculturing. Any support that maintains the cells near the surface can be used. An illustrative embodiment of a solid support is a TRANSWELL® culture dish. Another embodiment of a solid support for development of the microspores is a bilayer plate wherein liquid media is on top of a solid base. Other embodiments include a mesh or a millipore filter. Preferably, a solid support is a nylon mesh in the shape of a raft. A raft is defined as an approximately circular support material which is capable of floating slightly above the bottom of a tissue culture vessel, for example, a petri dish, of about a 60 or 100 mm size, although any other laboratory tissue culture vessel will suffice. In an illustrative embodiment, a raft is about 55 mm in diameter.

Culturing isolated microspores on a solid support, for example, on a 10 mm pore nylon raft floating on 2.2 ml of medium in a 60 mm petri dish, prevents microspores from sinking into the liquid medium and thus avoiding low oxygen tension. These types of cell supports enable the serial transfer of the nylon raft with its associated microspore/embryoids ultimately to full strength medium containing activated charcoal and solidified with, for example, GELRITE™ (solidifying agent).

The liquid medium passes through the mesh while the microspores are retained and supported at the medium-air interface. The surface tension of the liquid medium in the petri dish causes the raft to float. The liquid is able to pass through the mesh; consequently, the microspores stay on top. The mesh remains on top of the total volume of liquid medium.

The culture vessels can be further defined as either (1) a bilayer 60 mm petri plate wherein the bottom 2 ml of medium are solidified with 0.7% agarose overlaid with 1 mm of liquid containing the microspores; (2) a nylon mesh raft wherein a wafer of nylon is floated on 1.2 ml of medium and 1 ml of isolated microspores is pipetted on top; or (3) TRANSWELL® plates wherein isolated microspores are pipetted onto membrane inserts which support the microspores at the surface of 2 ml of medium.

Examples of processes of tissue culturing and regeneration of corn are described in, for example, European Patent Application 0 160 390; Green and Rhodes (1982); Duncan, et al. (1985); Songstad, et al. (1988); Rao, et al. (1986); Conger, et al. (1987); PCT Application WO 95/06128; Armstrong and Green (1985); Gordon-Kamm, et al. (1990); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,369.

Processes of Preparing Corn Plants and the Corn Plants Produced by Such Crosses

The present invention provides processes of preparing novel corn plants and corn plants produced by such processes. In accordance with such a process, a first parent corn plant may be crossed with a second parent corn plant wherein the first and second corn plants are the parent lines of hybrid corn plant variety SWSL 01, or wherein at least one of the plants is of hybrid corn plant variety CH744692.

Corn plants (Zea mays L.) can be crossed by either natural or mechanical techniques. Natural pollination occurs in corn when wind blows pollen from the tassels to the silks that protrude from the tops of the recipient ears. Mechanical pollination can be effected either by controlling the types of pollen that can blow onto the silks or by pollinating by hand. In one embodiment, crossing comprises the steps of:

-   -   (a) planting in pollinating proximity seeds of a first and a         second parent corn plant, and preferably, seeds of a first         inbred corn plant and a second, distinct inbred corn plant;     -   (b) cultivating or growing the seeds of the first and second         parent corn plants into plants that bear flowers;     -   (c) emasculating flowers of either the first or second parent         corn plant, i.e., treating the flowers so as to prevent pollen         production, or alternatively, using as the female parent a male         sterile plant, thereby providing an emasculated parent corn         plant;     -   (d) allowing natural cross-pollination to occur between the         first and second parent corn plants;     -   (e) harvesting seeds produced on the emasculated parent corn         plant; and, where desired,     -   (f) growing the harvested seed into a corn plant, preferably, a         hybrid corn plant.

Parental plants are typically planted in pollinating proximity to each other by planting the parental plants in alternating rows, in blocks or in any other convenient planting pattern. Where the parental plants differ in timing of sexual maturity, it may be desired to plant the slower maturing plant first, thereby ensuring the availability of pollen from the male parent during the time at which silks on the female parent are receptive to pollen. Plants of both parental parents are cultivated and allowed to grow until the time of flowering. Advantageously, during this growth stage, plants are in general treated with fertilizer and/or other agricultural chemicals as considered appropriate by the grower.

At the time of flowering, in the event that plant SWSL 01 is employed as the male parent, the tassels of the other parental plant are removed from all plants employed as the female parental plant to avoid self-pollination. The detasseling can be achieved manually but also can be done by machine, if desired. Alternatively, when the female parent corn plant comprises a cytoplasmic or nuclear gene conferring male sterility, detasseling may not be required. Additionally, a chemical gametocide may be used to sterilize the male flowers of the female plant. In this case, the parent plants used as the male may either not be treated with the chemical agent or may comprise a genetic factor which causes resistance to the emasculating effects of the chemical agent. Gametocides affect processes or cells involved in the development, maturation or release of pollen. Plants treated with such gametocides are rendered male sterile, but typically remain female fertile. The use of chemical gametocides is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,904, the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Furthermore, the use of Roundup herbicide in combination with glyphosate tolerant corn plants to produce male sterile corn plants is disclosed in PCT Publication WO 98/44140.

Following emasculation, the plants are then typically allowed to continue to grow and natural cross-pollination occurs as a result of the action of wind, which is normal in the pollination of grasses, including corn. As a result of the emasculation of the female parent plant, all the pollen from the male parent plant is available for pollination because tassels, and thereby pollen bearing flowering parts, have been previously removed from all plants of the plant being used as the female in the hybridization. Of course, during this hybridization procedure, the parental varieties are grown such that they are isolated from other corn fields to minimize or prevent any accidental contamination of pollen from foreign sources. These isolation techniques are well within the skill of those skilled in this art.

Both parental plants of corn may be allowed to continue to grow until maturity or the male rows may be destroyed after flowering is complete. Only the ears from the female parental plants are harvested to obtain seeds of a novel F1 hybrid. The novel F1 hybrid seed produced can then be planted in a subsequent growing season in commercial fields or, alternatively, advanced in breeding protocols for purposes of developing novel inbred lines.

Alternatively, in another embodiment of the invention, one or both first and second parent corn plants can be from variety SWSL 01. Thus, any corn plant produced using corn plant SWSL 01 forms a part of the invention. As used herein, crossing can mean selfing, backcrossing, crossing to another or the same variety, crossing to populations, and the like. All corn plants produced using the corn variety SWSL 01 as a parent are, therefore, within the scope of this invention.

One use of the instant corn variety is in the production of hybrid seed. Any time the corn plant SWSL 01 is crossed with another, different, corn plant, a corn hybrid plant is produced. As such, hybrid corn plant can be produced by crossing SWSL 01 with any second corn plant. Essentially any other corn plant can be used to produce a corn plant having corn plant SWSL 01 as one parent. All that is required is that the second plant be fertile, which corn plants naturally are, and that the plant is not corn variety SWSL 01.

The goal of the process of producing an F1 hybrid is to manipulate the genetic complement of corn to generate new combinations of genes which interact to yield new or improved traits (phenotypic characteristics). A process of producing an F1 hybrid typically begins with the production of one or more inbred plants. Those plants are produced by repeated crossing of ancestrally related corn plants to try to combine certain genes within the inbred plants.

Corn has a diploid phase which means two conditions of a gene (two alleles) occupy each locus (position on a chromosome). If the alleles are the same at a locus, there is said to be homozygosity. If they are different, there is said to be heterozygosity. In a completely inbred plant, all loci are homozygous. Because many loci when homozygous are deleterious to the plant, in particular leading to reduced vigor, less kernels, weak and/or poor growth, production of inbred plants is an unpredictable and arduous process. Under some conditions, heterozygous advantage at some loci effectively bars perpetuation of homozygosity.

A single cross hybrid corn variety is the cross of two inbred plants, each of which has a genotype which complements the genotype of the other. Typically, F1 hybrids are more vigorous than their inbred parents. This hybrid vigor, or heterosis, is manifested in many polygenic traits, including markedly improved yields, better stalks, better roots, better uniformity, and better insect and disease resistance. In the development of hybrids only the F1 hybrid plants are typically sought. An F1 single cross hybrid is produced when two inbred plants are crossed. A double cross hybrid is produced from four inbred plants crossed in pairs (A×B and C×D) and then the two F1 hybrids are crossed again (A×B)×(C×D).

Thousands of corn varieties are known to those of skill in the art, any one of which could be crossed with corn plant SWSL 01 to produce a hybrid plant. For example, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has issued more than 300 utility patents for corn varieties. Estimates place the number of different corn accessions in genebanks around the world at around 50,000 (Chang (1992)). The Maize Genetics Cooperation Stock Center, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has a total collection approaching 80,000 individually pedigreed samples (//w3.ag.uiuc.edu/maize-coop/mgc-info.html).

When the corn plant SWSL 01 is crossed with another plant to yield progeny, it can serve as either the maternal or paternal plant. For many crosses, the outcome is the same regardless of the assigned sex of the parental plants. However, due to increased seed yield and production characteristics, it may be desired to use one parental plant as the maternal plant. Some plants produce tighter ear husks leading to more loss, for example due to rot. There can be delays in silk formation which deleteriously affect timing of the reproductive cycle for a pair of parental inbreds. Seed coat characteristics can be preferable in one plant. Pollen can be shed better by one plant. Other variables can also affect preferred sexual assignment of a particular cross.

The development of a hybrid corn variety involves three steps: (1) the selection of plants from various germplasm pools; (2) the selfing of the selected plants for several generations to produce a series of inbred plants, which, although different from each other, each breed true and are highly uniform; and (3) crossing the selected inbred plants with unrelated inbred plants to produce the hybrid progeny (F1). During the inbreeding process in corn, the vigor of the plants decreases. Vigor is restored when two unrelated inbred plants are crossed to produce the hybrid progeny (F1). An important consequence of the homozygosity and homogeneity of the inbred plants is that the hybrid between any two inbreds is always the same. Once the inbreds that give a superior hybrid have been identified, hybrid seed can be reproduced indefinitely as long as the homogeneity of the inbred parents is maintained Conversely, much of the hybrid vigor exhibited by F1 hybrids is lost in the next generation (F2). Consequently, seed from hybrid varieties is not used for planting stock. It is not generally beneficial for farmers to save seed of F1 hybrids. Rather, farmers purchase F1 hybrid seed for planting every year.

The development of inbred plants generally requires at least about 5 to 7 generations of selfing. Inbred plants are then cross-bred in an attempt to develop improved F1 hybrids. Hybrids are then screened and evaluated in small scale field trials. Typically, about 10 to 15 phenotypic traits, selected for their potential commercial value, are measured. A selection index of the most commercially important traits is used to help evaluate hybrids. FACT, an acronym for Field Analysis Comparison Trial (strip trials), is an on-farm experimental testing program employed by Monsanto Company to perform the final evaluation of the commercial potential of a product.

During the next several years, a progressive elimination of hybrids occurs based on more detailed evaluation of their phenotype. Eventually, strip trials (FACT) are conducted to formally compare the experimental hybrids being developed with other hybrids, some of which were previously developed and generally are commercially successful. That is, comparisons of experimental hybrids are made to competitive hybrids to determine if there was any advantage to further development of the experimental hybrids. Examples of such comparisons are presented hereinbelow. After FACT testing is complete, determinations may be made whether commercial development should proceed for a given hybrid.

The present invention provides a genetic complement of the hybrid corn plant variety designated SWSL 01. As used herein, the phrase “genetic complement” means an aggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of which defines the phenotype of a corn plant or a cell or tissue of that plant. By way of example, a corn plant is genotyped to determine a representative sample of the inherited markers it possesses. Markers are alleles at a single locus. They are preferably inherited in codominant fashion so that the presence of both alleles at a diploid locus is readily detectable, and they are free of environmental variation, i.e., their heritability is 1. This genotyping is preferably performed on at least one generation of the descendant plant for which the numerical value of the quantitative trait or traits of interest are also determined. The array of single locus genotypes is expressed as a profile of marker alleles, two at each locus. The marker allelic composition of each locus can be either homozygous or heterozygous. Homozygosity is a condition where both alleles at a locus are characterized by the same nucleotide sequence or size of a repeated sequence. Heterozygosity refers to different conditions of the gene at a locus. A preferred type of genetic marker for use with the invention is simple sequence repeats (SSRs), although potentially any other type of genetic marker could be used, for example, restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and isozymes.

All of the compositions and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations, changes, modifications, and alterations may be applied to the composition, methods, and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein, without departing from the true concept, spirit, and scope of the invention. More specifically, it will be apparent that certain agents that are both chemically and physiologically related may be substituted for the agents described herein while the same or similar results would be achieved. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Deposit Information

A deposit of the inbred sweet corn seed of this invention is maintained by Seedway, LLC, 1734 Railroad Place, Hall, New York 14463. Access to this deposit will be available during the pendency of this application to persons determined by the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks to be entitled thereto under 37 C.F.R. §1.14 and 35 U.S.C. §122. Upon allowance of any claims in this application, all restrictions on the availability to the public of the variety will be irrevocably removed by affording access to a deposit of at least 2,500 seeds of the same variety with the American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Va., or National Collections of Industrial, Food and Marine Bacteria (NCIMB), 23 St Machar Drive, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB24 3RY, United Kingdom.

While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions, and sub-combinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions, and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope. 

1. A seed of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01, wherein a representative sample of seed of said inbred sweet corn line was deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-______.
 2. A plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the seed of claim
 1. 3. A tissue culture of cells of the plant of claim
 2. 4. The tissue culture of claim 3, wherein cells of the tissue culture are from a tissue selected from the group consisting of leaf, pollen, embryo, root, root tip, anther, silk, flower, kernel, ear, cob, husk, stalk and meristem.
 5. The seed of claim 1, wherein said seed further comprises a transgene.
 6. The seed of claim 5, wherein the transgene confers a trait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, waxy starch, modified fatty acid metabolism, modified phytic acid metabolism, modified carbohydrate metabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 7. The seed of claim 5, wherein said seed comprises a single locus conversion.
 8. The seed of claim 7, wherein the single locus conversion confers a trait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, waxy starch, modified fatty acid metabolism, modified phytic acid metabolism, modified carbohydrate metabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 9. A method of producing hybrid sweet corn seed comprising the plant of claim 2 with a different inbred sweet corn line.
 10. The hybrid sweet corn seed of claim
 9. 11. A method of introducing a heritable trait into inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 comprising the steps of: (a) crossing the plant of claim 2 with another corn plant that heritably carries the trait to produce progeny plants, at least some of which heritably carry the trait; (b) selecting progeny plants that heritably carry the trait; (c) crossing selected progeny plants with another SWSL 01 inbred sweet corn line plant to produce next-generation progeny plants at least some of which heritably carry the trait; (d) selecting next-generation progeny plants that heritably carry the trait and exhibit morphological and physiological characteristics of SWSL 01; (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) three or more times to produce at least a first selected progeny plant that heritably carries the trait and exhibits essentially all of the morphological and physical characteristics of the inbred corn line SWSL
 01. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the trait is selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, waxy starch, modified fatty acid metabolism, modified phytic acid metabolism, modified carbohydrate metabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising repeating steps (a)-(e) at least once to introduce at least a second trait into inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01, wherein the second trait is selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, waxy starch, modified fatty acid metabolism, modified phytic acid metabolism, modified carbohydrate metabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 14. A plant produced by the method of claim
 13. 15. A method for producing corn seed comprising crossing a first parent corn plant with a second parent corn plant and harvesting the resultant first generation corn seed, wherein said first or second parent corn plant is the corn plant of claim
 2. 16. A method for obtaining an inbred sweet corn line comprising: (a) planting a collection of seed comprising seed of a corn hybrid, one of whose parents is a plant according to claim 2, or a corn plant having all the physiological and morphological characteristics of a plant according to claim 2, said collection also comprising seed of said inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01; (b) growing plants from said collection of seed; (c) identifying said inbred plants; (d) selecting said inbred plant; and (e) controlling pollination in a manner which preserves the homozygosity of said inbred plant.
 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said one parent has essentially all the physiological and morphological characteristics of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01, seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-______, and further comprises one or more single gene transferred traits.
 18. A method comprising introgressing one or more single gene traits into inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01, seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-______, using one or more markers for marker assisted selection among corn lines to be used in a corn breeding program, the markers being associated with said one or more single gene traits, wherein the resulting corn line has essentially all the physiological and morphological characteristics of a plant of inbred sweet corn line SWSL 01 and further comprises said one or more single gene transferred traits.
 19. A method of producing a sweet corn product comprising obtaining an ear of a plant according to claim 2, isolating a kernel from said ear, and processing said kernel to obtain a sweet corn product.
 20. A method according to claim 19 wherein said sweet corn product is a canned or a frozen product, or a fresh produce. 